Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) Shares Sold by Financial & Tax Architects LLC

Financial & Tax Architects LLC cut its holdings in Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT - Free Report) by 91.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,465 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 16,458 shares during the period. Financial & Tax Architects LLC's holdings in Caterpillar were worth $483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in shares of Caterpillar by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 962 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. increased its position in Caterpillar by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 10,771 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $3,907,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Summit X LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 1,025 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Dunhill Financial LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 21.3% in the 4th quarter. Dunhill Financial LLC now owns 205 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $75,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Finally, Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Caterpillar by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $578,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. 70.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Caterpillar Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE CAT traded up $4.55 during trading on Friday, hitting $434.07. 2,207,764 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,516,496. Caterpillar Inc. has a 1 year low of $267.30 and a 1 year high of $434.87. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $377.02 and a 200-day moving average price of $351.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $204.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43.

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The industrial products company reported $4.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $4.35 by ($0.10). Caterpillar had a net margin of 15.71% and a return on equity of 53.77%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $14.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.60 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Caterpillar Inc. will post 19.86 EPS for the current year.

Caterpillar Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 20th. Investors of record on Monday, July 21st will be given a dividend of $1.51 per share. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.39%. This is a boost from Caterpillar's previous quarterly dividend of $1.41. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 21st. Caterpillar's dividend payout ratio is 29.43%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Caterpillar news, Director David Maclennan purchased 375 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 7th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $320.70 per share, with a total value of $120,262.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 6,653 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,133,617.10. This trade represents a 5.97% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.33% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAT. Morgan Stanley upgraded Caterpillar from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $300.00 to $283.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Caterpillar from $335.00 to $383.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Caterpillar from $375.00 to $373.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Caterpillar from $395.00 to $483.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Caterpillar from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and set a $500.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Caterpillar has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $419.33.

About Caterpillar

Caterpillar Inc manufactures and sells construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives in worldwide. Its Construction Industries segment offers asphalt pavers, compactors, road reclaimers, forestry machines, cold planers, material handlers, track-type tractors, excavators, telehandlers, motor graders, and pipelayers; compact track, wheel, track-type, backhoe, and skid steer loaders; and related parts and tools.